sexual exploitation of children over the internet - Meldpunt ...

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Sex Sites on the Run, Nearly Nude Photos Hit the Web” and “From Their Own OnlineWorld, Pedophiles Extend Their Reach,” respectively. The first article discussedwebsites commonly referred to as “child modeling websites,” where young girls areposed provocatively in sexual clothing. According to Mr. Eichenwald’s investigation, theowners and operators of these websites have deliberately posed the girls in clothingbecause they believe that the current definition of “child pornography” requires thegenitalia to be somehow visible in order for the images to be illegal. The second articlefocused on the online forums and chatrooms visited by pedophiles and child predators,where Mr. Eichenwald observed child predators encouraging one another andrationalizing their behavior.Dr. Hernandez’s testimony focused on the treatment of sex offenders within theBureau of Prisons (“BOP”). Dr. Hernandez runs the BOP’s only Sex Offender TreatmentProgram. Currently, that treatment program can only house 112 inmates at a time, out ofthe almost 12,000 federal prisoners now incarcerated for sexual crimes. The program iswholly voluntary for offenders. The treatment program lasts 18 months and is conductedin seven phases; these phases include a complete psychiatric evaluation and group andindividual therapy. The final phase includes a polygraph. During the polygraph, inmatesare questioned about whether they have committed contact offenses for which they havenot been arrested or convicted. The information provided during the polygraph was thebasis for a presentation Dr. Hernandez gave in 2000 entitled “Self-Reported ContactedSexual Offenses by Participants in the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ Sex OffenderTreatment Program: Implications for Internet Sex Offenders.” With regard to theinmates he had treated, Dr. Hernandez found that 76 percent of the inmates convicted oncharges related to the possession of child pornography or luring a child had alsocommitted sexual contact offenses against children. Dr. Hernandez believed that thisfinding suggested that the majority of sex offenders convicted of Internet sex crimes had“similar behavioral characteristics as many child molesters.”In her testimony, Dr. Salter confirmed that a “considerable percentage” ofindividuals convicted for child pornography crimes had also committed contact offenses.More disturbingly, in her testimony, Dr. Salter’s suggested that this number may beunderestimated, as one report found that only three percent of individuals who havecommitted contact offenses are caught. In addition to finding a link between possessingchild pornography and committing contact offenses, Dr. Salter also testified that shebelieves there is a link between viewing online pornography and committing contactoffenses. With regard to reducing the number of contact offenses against children, bothDr. Jenkins and Dr. Salter testified that reducing online child pornography would alsoreduce contact crimes, especially among those offenders who are emboldened to act ontheir sexual desires or urges by viewing child pornography. According to Dr. Salter,“child pornography increases the arousal to kids and is throwing gasoline on the fire.”As Dr. Salter acknowledged, while recidivism is common among sex offenders,treatment can be successful in reducing it. One report cited by Dr. Salter found thatrecidivism among sex offenders can be reduced by as much as 40 percent with propertreatment. Dr. Salter and Dr. Hernandez agreed that cognitive behavioral therapy or32
treatment was most effective in treating sex offenders; however, Dr. Salter testified thatmany states do not have the resources to provide the treatment that might decreaserecidivism and, in fact, that some states have waiting lists for treatment.Mr. Eichenwald’s testimony focused on the online pedophile community. Mr.Eichenwald described the online pedophile community as being very sophisticated andcunning. For example, Mr. Eichenwald testified that there are Internet podcasts and evenan Internet radio station organized by pedophiles for adults who are attracted to children.During the four months Mr. Eichenwald spent examining pedophile forums andchatrooms, he observed pedophiles discussing the best ways to get access to children,including serving as camp counselors, foster care parents, and other community eventswhere children gather, and rationalizing their behavior. For example, some of thepedophiles Mr. Eichenwald observed believe their relationships with minors areconsensual and that the child, in fact, instigated the relationship. In fact, Mr. Eichenwaldfound that some pedophiles see themselves as leaders of a “cause” to advance the rightsof children to have sex with adults. The pedophiles Mr. Eichenwald observed alsorationalized their behavior in other ways, arguing that adults who attempt to protectchildren from them are “child haters” and impeding children’s happiness.Perhaps even more disturbing is the physical proximity to children the pedophilesobserved by Mr. Eichenwald online seemed to enjoy. Mr. Eichenwald testified that thepedophile conversations he observed included daily accounts of their observations ofchildren. Many of the people who visited the forums were teachers and schooladministrators, pediatricians, and other individuals with access to children.The second panel of witnesses focused on the role of web hosting companies.The witnesses included Mr. Thomas Krwawecz, the C.E.O. and President of Blue GravityCommunications, Inc., and Ms. Christine Jones of GoDaddy.com. Blue Gravity is arelatively small web hosting business located in Pennsauken, N.J., with servers located inPhiladelphia, PA; GoDaddy.com is the number one registrar of domain names in theworld and is also a large and web hosting company. Web hosting companies providethe connection to the Internet for website operators and own the servers where websitesupload their content. Mr. Krwawecz and Ms. Jones discussed how their companiesidentify possible child pornography or child modeling websites either when thosewebsites register their domain names or during the hosting process.As Ms. Jones described, the first step in creating the website is registering, andtherefore reserving, the domain name. At GoDaddy.com, the domain registration processis entirely automated. Ms. Jones testified that it would be very difficult to prevent anonline child pornography or child modeling website from registering for a domain namebecause it is difficult, if not impossible, to verify the legitimate use of the domain nameeven if the name suggests it may be a child pornography website.According to the witnesses, once a website name is registered and a web hostingcompany begins hosting content, it is still difficult for the web hosting company to searchproactively the websites it hosts in order to uncover child pornography content. Mr.33
Page 4 and 5: • The use of anonymizers and othe
Page 6 and 7: found in 42 U.S.C. § 13032, crimin
Page 9: within the privacy of their home an
Page 12 and 13: clicks on his or her image, forward
Page 14 and 15: developed by the Department of Home
Page 16 and 17: majority of investigations — appr
Page 18 and 19: Ms. Fisher, Mr. Roldan, and Mr. Bel
Page 20 and 21: A recent proposal by NCMEC supports
Page 22 and 23: efforts with respect to child porno
Page 24 and 25: eviews are as effective and aggress
Page 26 and 27: countries must have approved implem
Page 28 and 29: suggestion, NCMEC is working with s
Page 30 and 31: upon the burgeoning industry of dig
Page 34: Krwawecz testified that, in his exp

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